Jessica Sikorski pleads guilty to fight at Tea Tree Plaza interchange
A woman has escaped a conviction for charging at a group she was “warring” with, kicking off a wild brawl at an “infamous” and “problematic” bus interchange.
North & North East
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A wild Modbury bus stop brawl was the culmination of “festering” issues between two “warring groups” who frequented the Tea Tree Plaza interchange, a court has heard.
Modbury woman Jessica Jane Sikorski, 22, pleaded guilty in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court to affray, a charge resulting from her involvement in the altercation.
Mark Quaglia, for Sikorski, told the court the interchange was “infamous” and “problematic” and was part way through submitting “more supervision” of the area could have prevented the brawl when Magistrate David White urged him otherwise.
Sikorski was spent nine hours in prison after the fight before appearing on Channel 7 news the next day, the court heard, and telling the cameras she had “stabbed a guy with a screwdriver in self defence”.
Sikorski was not accused of stabbing the man.
Footage played to the court showed Sikorski running at another group approaching the interchange before sparking a fight that continued for several minutes.
Mr White said the footage showed Sikorski was the “initial instigator” who “played a significant role starting (the fight) off”, before considering the context of the “warring groups”.
“Whilst this shows (Sikorski) being the instigator on the evening in question, what had happened beforehand between these two warring groups … can be explained by this festering conflict that’s being going on for weeks, if not months, if not longer,” he said.
“The result of that was that she has acted impulsively and not exercised the proper judgment.”
Sikorski’s plea came while four other co-accused in the fight were before the court on charges including affray, assault and carrying offensive weapons.
Her sister, Amber Sikorski, and their housemate Cori Daniel Ford as well as members of the other “group”, Cherie Louise Power and Krystal Lee Power awaited their next court date later this month.
They have not entered pleas to any of the charges.
The fight occurred at the interchange shortly before 8pm on January 24 and several members of the public made calls to triple-0 to report it.
The Transport Workers’ Union and Tea Tree Gully Council in the aftermath condemned the fight and called for better security in the area to protect the public.
Mr Quaglia told the court Sikorski was scared of the group she attacked after being “harassed for weeks before” and having the night prior having to “seek refuge” in a bus to get away from them.
“Following (the fight) she became so scared for her own safety, because members of the other group knew where she lived, that she had to move location,” he said.
Mr Quaglia then asked Mr White if he would consider not recording a conviction for Sikorski, who had no prior history, as she was preparing to start work as a school counsellor.
Mr White, in considering Sikorski’s age and the fact a conviction would likely hamper her chances of employment, accepted the submission.
Instead, he sentenced Sikorski to a 12-month good behaviour bond without conviction and ordered her to pay the court and prosecution fees.
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